Sacramento’s three-game winning streak came to an end in Miami, falling to the Heat 105-104. The Kings had a chance to win the game at the end with a little over 4 seconds, but Miami defended the final play well, and Richaun Holmes was forced to put up a tough fadeaway jumper that was partially blocked by Bam Adebayo.
De’Aaron Fox led the way for the Kings with 30 points, including 17 in the final quarter alone. When the Kings fell behind by double-digits early on, it was Fox who stepped up and hit big shots to drag the Kings back into the game. He did end up settling for one too many jumpers down the stretch however, and only shot 3-11 from beyond the arc.
Miami was far less shorthanded than they were supposed to be, with Jimmy Butler making his return after a 12 game absence in a big way. Butler scored 30 points himself, to go with 8 assists, and 7 rebounds. He also outshot the entire Kings team from the line, making 14 of 16 attempts while the Kings were just 5 for 11.
That free throw disparity was in part self-inflicted, as the Kings were not nearly as aggressive in attacking the paint as they should have been, especially in the second half. It has been rare this season for the Kings to be so dramatically outclassed at getting to the line, but in this game, Sacramento settled for outside jumpers time and time again. They ended up shooting 45 attempts from beyond the arc, their highest total of the season.
The Kings got off to a hot start, building an 11 point lead after the first quarter, but Miami stepped up the defensive intensity big time in the second and third quarter, and the Kings saw their lead evaporate and eventually become a deficit. If it weren’t for Fox willing the team back in the game in the final quarter, this one might not have been particularly close at the end as Sacramento was struggling to get into any sort of offensive rhythm.
The Kings have a day off now before they head to New Orleans for a rematch on Monday.
Random Observations
- Marvin Bagley III is becoming automatic from the corner three. Bagley’s efficiency has steadily risen this season and tonight might have been his most efficient game of the season, as he scored 17 points on 7 of 8 from the field and 3 of 4 from three. After tonight’s performance, Bagley is shooting 37% from three for the season.
- Kyle Guy had some meaningful minutes and played with some good energy, scoring 5 points in 15 minutes to go with 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. He’s outmatched defensively, but he definitely plays with a lot of effort. I’d much rather see Guy out there than Joseph at this point.
- Tyrese Haliburton has some hops. The last two games he’s had some nice dunks that have come out of nowhere.
- It was an uncharacteristically quiet game from Richaun Holmes, who only got 4 field goal attempts all game, including the one he had to rush at the end. The Kings need to do a better job of involving him in the offense.
- Of our 11 free throws, De’Aaron Fox shot 8 of them. He only made 3. Not great.
- Hassan Whiteside displayed more passion on the one dunk he had than he has this entire season. I wish he would channel that energy on the other end of the court. There was one play where he snagged a rebound and lazily brought it down only to have Kelly Olynyk strip him and knock a three. In a game as close as this was, every possession matters and that was embarrassing.
Killed us with his footwork
God dammit, I should’ve just gone with my gut for the predictions. After predicting Kings losses the last three games prior to tonight, of course when I picked the Kings to win they Kangz on me.
so we have you to blame…
If the Kings loose, you win. Is that winning? 😉
Fox was pretty damn great this game. Halliburton shoots his average and its a win. I enjoyed the game overall. Maybe a little too physical, can’t win A punch out with A steel jawed opponent like that.
Main takeaway: Fox is really good! Butler is a top ten player.
Agree with your main takeaway, especially with the addendum that as good as Fox is, he needs to work on his free throws.
Fox is good, except when it comes to free throws. He’s pretty bad there.
Which is important, for two reasons – one, it restricts his overall efficiency on offense. Second, it makes it questionable whether he’ll ever consistently shoot the three at a decent clip.
Nice that he scored thirty, but taking 26 shots to do it is a big meh.
Great observations, I might add that consistency of performance throughout the roster remains the biggest issue. After a great performance in the previous game, Barnes was not much of a factor tonight. The lack of consistency is just an indication that this roster is simply not good enough to have a winning record. 8 and 11 is who they are right now. I do like the effort level this team is giving.
The biggest issue period. Spot on.
Fox made my earlier comments look bad at the end of the game
Hes improving offensively at a good clip, despite my criticisms
Fox played a brilliant game except for his free throw shooting. He let his temper get in the way during the first half and got a T for it. Even if he was right, that just can’t happen. He’ll learn and so will the Kings. All in all, a good game.
It’s so crazy how Whiteside looks like he’s doing the absolute minimum game in and game out.
Whiteside has been that player his entire career. That’s why he’ll never stay with one team very long. He’s lazy, unfocused, and slow. He personifies a player that is only on the court to get paid.
The funny thing is some people on this board fall in love with him after showing up every 5th game.
I don’t know. I guess I’m just expecting him to be a VORP 0.0 player for minimum salary. Um. Which he is. Get over it. Your assessment is more lazy than Hassan. Easily.
True about Whiteside but it does show you every 5th game that a strong post presence still has value. I like Holmes but I still think that’s an area that needs upgrading if the Kings are to be relevant.
It’s crazy that people expected him to look better and proclaiming him to be the best FA signing in forever.
That is Whiteside.
Why be tired if you can be lazy?
Well at least they’re playing competitive and are watchable again. Better enjoy these games while supplies last because the team will eventually lose 10 of the next 12 at some point (which isn’t a bad thing if you’re looking to get a high draft pick), but if they play like the last few games and lose, I can’t be too mad.
Not a lot to nitpick today except Bagley should have been on the floor during crunch time. He was playing good. I rather have him at the FT line over Whiteside.
Fox played a good game.
3 weaknesses are separating him from being great. Decision making, Going for 11 3’s is not his game, FT’s are still an issue.
These areas alone will keep him from being an All Star.
Butler has similar numbers. But, Butler is in another league. He’s a game changer that literally puts a team on his back.
The Heat were without Dragic, Bradley and Harkless. 3 of their better defenders.
Butler also plays defense.
Defense is only half the game, who needs that?!
I missed the game and deleted the recording (my 1st missed game this season and I never rewatch losses), why does Bagley shoot 7-8 and plays less minutes than a struggling Holmes and only 6 minutes more than Whiteside?
I know he hasn’t earned that trust yet, but come on he’s playing well statistically and developing him should be a main focus. Again I missed the game, someone explain. Thanks fam.
Yeah it was kinda weird. He played excellent offensively and nothing really stood out as being poor defensively yet he got no 4th quarter minutes that I can think of. Wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a raging Team Bagley tweet out there tonight.
I couldn’t help but restore my deleted recording and rewatch lol
Definitely no reason that Whiteside should have gotten 19 minutes to Bagley’s 25, especially with a stretch 5 like Olynyk getting 25 min and a quicker big like Bam getting big minutes.
Because it doesn’t particularly matter how well Bagley plays offensively. The traditional big 4 is dying. He is the antithesis of how to build in the modern NBA.
It’s not just Walton; almost every coach in the NBA would prefer to utilize the Fox-Haliburton-Hield-Barnes-Holmes lineup. A 3/4 who would’ve been a full-time 3 twenty years ago and a lone C.
He is neither a 3/4 combo forward or capable of being a small-ball C.
The only teams I know of that utilize a Bagley-type player, that is a 4 with no positional versatility and bad defense as one of their most important players are mediocre to loser organizations.
Except Bagley is not even a traditional big anymore. he is shooting 37% from 3s and shot 3/4 tonight. I am actually ok if they don’t play him for defensive reasons, but it makes no sense for example, not to use him at the end. What the heck was Holmes going to do?
Fox had an entire season shooting 37% from 3 and is still widely considered a non-shooter. Not to mention, you better be able to hit more than the left corner 3 to be able to call yourself a stretch big. I imagine that’s going to be in the scouting report very soon; either that or they want him taking that shot, but I digress.
Is Bagley going to be able to chase, Lebron/Kawhi/KD or even Jae Crowder or Robert Covington around the perimeter? Of course not, he’s never going to be able to do that and therefore will never be anything but a traditional big.
What’s Holmes going to do? I don’t know, get their defense up to a base level of competence to where they’re not actively hemorrhaging points by the second?
I am ok with every single qualifier you put on Bagley’s shooting. They don’t need him to be an elite shooter. “Don’t give Bagley the corner” is the exact thing this team needs to appear on scouting reports to give the spacing required to open the floor.
Things appearing on scouting reports is not a bad thing. It literally means teams need to scout to beat us. The scouting list on good teams is much longer than on bad teams.
Bagley may or may not be a shooter, but he is not a post up big anymore. He is a perimeter big. Who in the NBA can chase Lebron/Kawhi/KD in the perimeter? Bagley is not the only medicore defender play in the NBA right now. You are not making sense. What good is Holmes playing defense on the last possession when they need a bucket?
Holmes is all heart and hustle and is an amazing rim runner/efficient close range scorer, but on D he’s pretty atrocious. He’s a foul machine, always bumping drives with his forearms knowing that the refs call that and whether it’s the gameplan or not, failing to step up on Lillard, McCollum, Lowry, Van Vleet shooting pull up 3s off screens.
Holmes has started every game and we are last in defensive rating. It’s not all him obviously, but he hasn’t been a plus. Holmes is a Montrezl Harrell level big. Not an insult. He has his benefits and limitations, but we’ll love the dog and energy in him.
Just saying his defense has been bad. Not saying Bagley has been better either but accept that we have 3 bad defensive centers right now.
Holmes starting is not the reason the Kings’ defense sucks. If you look at the numbers, we’re significantly better with Holmes on the floor. And you’re talking about him being unable to stop Lillard off screens behind the arc? Dude, he’s a center. His perimeter defense is as good as you can hope for from a center. And he protects the rim very well. He had 6 blocks in a single game not long ago. Why do you think he’s out there? It’s not for his offense. I get that you’re not trying to dump on the guy, but calling his defense atrocious is just not accurate.
I didn’t say that Holmes starting was the reason the Kings defense sucks.
Also, when talking about Lillard and those guys I only mean hedging hard to prevent the immediate pull up three when their big screens our guard. I don’t expect Holmes to stay with the guards defensively if they drive but he doesn’t even make them drive to have help come. My problem is he doesn’t even step up to contest the pull up three from expert pull up three shooters like Lillard, Lowry, and Van Vleet. Watch the tape, he doesn’t even step out or put a hand up. You can’t do that in today’s NBA.
Blocks don’t tell the whole story. He has 2 games with 6 blocks each and 16 blocks in the other 16 games. Andrew Wiggins is averaging 1.5 blks and Holmes 1.6, so yeah. In the game it is noticeable that teams still attack him successfully because he is thin for a Center and also is a foul machine.
Is he the best defensive center we have? Undoubtedly yeah and I do regret saying atrocious, that’s my bad, but that doesn’t mean he’s a good defender. I love Holmes as much as the next guy, but I think a lot of fans see Whiteside and Bagley as alternatives and raise Holmes up on a pedestal.
Holmes does get into foul trouble too often, but to say he is a bad defender is ridiculous. He’s one of the few bright spots on that side of the ball.
Richaun’s defensive field goal percentage is 47.0%. Not to mention the amount of free throws he gives up on shooting fouls. Also, he’s #398 ish of players in defensive rating. Blame the players around him yes, but that’s the stat.
For reference Duncan Robinson, Willie, Harrison Barnes, Ayton, Sabonis are at the same level with same sample sizes.
Elite defenders like Gobert and Turner are 40% and below. Whiteside is at 44%.
The worst defenders on the team are Bagley and Buddy at 55%. This is all for reference.
When the entire team is a C/C- on defense as a whole, a bright spot is grading on a curve.
Bagley. I don’t understand the development game plan we’re going for. No matter how he plays he doesn’t get 4th quarter minutes?
Whiteside. He’s actually quite terrible on defense. He has terrible footwork and lateral movement. He’s a very bad on ball defender….but he’s good selling out for the blocks on drives, and weak side blocks. He’s lackadaisical on both sides of the ball. I’m over him. Those minutes should go to Metu or to Bagley/Holmes.
Holmes. He just disappears sometimes but still gives good effort defensively.
Barnes. He just disappears sometimes but still gives good effort defensively.
Haliburton. He struggled today defensively, he missed some rotations and overplayed some lanes to leave wide open shots and drives to the hoops. His shot is also coming back down to earth. That dunk was sweet though…he’s got some deceptively high spring in those legs.
Fox. It was nice to see him take over the in 4th like that and I can’t fault him for taking that last 3 that was way off because he was feeling it. I just wish he’d take it to the hole more in that type of situation. I wonder if he’s hesitant because the refs allow him to get mugged in the paint. It’s almost like the refs have a vendetta against him. Of course Butler got all those calls though.
Guy. It was cool to see him get some minutes and do well with them. If he can get some minutes to find his rhythm those 3pters will start falling
Buddy. He’s been playing much much better as of late on both sides of the ball. I don’t mind keeping him around if he continues this. Unless I’m missing something he also hasn’t stuck his foot in his mouth this season either.
On Buddy Hield. He shot well in the first half. Ice cold in the 2nd half and his dribbling and passing was disgusting all night.
I’m surprised this hasn’t been a bigger talking point tonight. Still the same Buddy, an uptick in 3 point percentage does not change his future with this team.
yes…you are right….
It’s the same Buddy, he should never be asked to dribble the ball….
Whenever he tried to drive in, and if his way was blocked, he just threw the ball away to his teammate randomly………
Just tell Buddy to keep moving to find open space to shoot the 3……..
This game he has 4 turnovers………
I’ve effectively labeled those dribble panic passes Buddy Specials and am glad to receive at least one every game for my enjoyment.
He was truly awful tonight. Cross court passes and jump passes to an area around Fox at the top of the key to bail him out.
Also, he attacks the rim with a fear of getting blocked. Twice he had an opportunity to attack against Herro and he jumped using his body to shield himself affecting his layup attempt like Herro was about to block him. Buddy was an effective finisher during Joerger ball especially with the left hand. I don’t understand what had happened.
We lost, but it was a fun game. The Kings were competitive and lost a close one. Great to see Bagley improving. Fox’s shooting is looking better too. He has a lot more confidence in his shot now.
Fun to see Kyle Guy getting meaningful minutes out there. Thought he was going to get a concussion when Butler knocked him down hard.
Well then…
https://twitter.com/ByTimReynolds/status/1355728545859960833
Does that mean the kings players who played won’t be in the next several due to contact tracing protocols?
I think (not 100% positive) the NBA bases their decision-making on people who have been directly exposed to someone who tests positive. So unless Herro tests positive, I would think the rest of these rosters would be ok.
But Herro should be sitting for a while.
BUDDY BALL CALL GAME RUN BUDDY RUN!!!!!
Thought it was a perfect game. Played respectably if not well and lost the game. The tank continues. Knew we were in trouble when it turned out Jimmy Butler was playing. Don’t know why Walton put Guy in so early but he played decently in his 16 minutes. Enjoyed the game, loved the loss!
Is that Hali?
https://twitter.com/ByTimReynolds/status/1355727301527416834?s=20
Hali on the left. GRIII on the right?
Zoomed in on the picture. Hard to tell from behind but looks like it’s either GR3 or Woodard
Wow…this is impressive. In a season where practices are less, they are still making time for the rookies. I don’t mind this at all (even after back-to-back).
I haven’t seen much game footage as of late (I should hit Walton up), however it is encouraging (and refreshing) that Fox is stepping up. Even if he has a few weaknesses, as long as he is improving I am happy (i.e. hopefully he can work on FT shooting off season etc).
With the amount of 3’s he is taking, is it poor shot selection, or is it because he is taking what the D gives him? If it is the latter, I have no issue with him continuing to take this shot.
3/4 with the last being a 1 point loss, this is the Kings (KANGZ) equivalent to playoff ball!
No Fox shooting free throws?
He doesn’t have time for that.
In other news,
IMAN SHUMPERT is signing with the Nets. It pays to be a former champion. Good for him.
Still shocked Lakers chose JR and Waiters over him last year, even if he was likely to make a minor impact like those guys.
Missing “the Scores”, I wonder what will to happen to the team if they kept that roster and Joerger.
I think Joerger would be a lame duck HC right now. Not sure this organization is immune to the “you gotta let a GM hire his own head coach” philosophy.
Any coach would be a lame duck right now because and I hate to mention it, but Vlade passed on Luka.
Luka would have saved everyone’s jobs.
Good old moral victory!
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The tank marches on! ð
Development year. Fox will be an all star one day. Bagley needs more time. Mentors.
Horrible officiating all game long. The foul calls were one sided. Fox was getting hacked all game long and no foul calls. On the last play by Fox he was pushed by Butler and Herro and the ref that was standing right there didn’t even call it. 26 FTs Heat to only 11 FTs Kings. Butler himself shot 16 FTs, more than the whole Kings team. And fire Luke Walton please! Bagley was playing good in 3 quarters and didn’t even get to see the floor in the 4th. His rotation sucks and he’s just hindering the growth of our young players. Glad to see Kyle Guy getting some minutes. Would like to see them start giving more CoJo minutes to Guy.
I sense a lack of definition about what we are doing. If this a development year, I don’t mind having Fox doing what he did in crunch time. Go there and figure it out, maybe he can be that guy, at least he’s shooting better from deep.
Also, if this is a development year, why not play Bagley in crunch time? We are going nowhere with Whiteside. Why not give solid minutes to Ramsey and Woodard? Like in the beggining of 2nd quarters. Why play CoJo? I prefer inconsistency from Guy, we need to know if he can be part of a solid rotation.
Fire Walton, please. His goal is to win games, Kings’ goal should be build something. And Walton isn’t even good at winning.
I think any TKH board junkie would bet $100 they could go 3/8 from the line.
Fox is going to be really good I just hope he realizes sooner than later. I Foxing love that he got a Technical foul.
Marvin has shown growth, Expanded the arsenal and still so much hate. Dude had a good game. Just say it. Marvin…nice game! Not hard.
I like coach playing with the rotation especially on a back to back. Glad Guy got some run. Wasn’t spectacular. Wasn’t bad either.
Acceptable back to back loss. Team loss.
Look at all the fans come out of the woodwork when Whiteside has first bad defensive game of the season. It was already known his strength is not pick and roll defense and his former team and coach knew how to exploit this weakness.
Whiteside is not lazy, it is called economy and effeciency of motion! No one would be harping on Whiteside either if the last possession would have turned out differently !
Kyle Guy sighting 8 weeks overdue! Did the coach fall down hit his head and have common sense knocked into him?!
Kyle Guy + 5
CoJoSlo -11 (Scrubs gonna scrub)
How many times does this Bum have to lead us in the worst plus / minus differential and the coach and fans give him a pass?! Guy missed his shots but you cannot expect him to be sharp when he has been rotting on the bench. Still, he was confident and aggressive and the teammates love having him on the floor.
You can see the energy pick up by contrast to the timidity and futility of Joseph. The coach actually assigned Joseph to Butler, what a bunch of horsesh*t strategy. Joseph is a terrible defender, smoke and mirror my friends!
For those who pay attention to the finer points, you will notice Guy gave up his body twice trying to draw charges and did a good job on the defense boards 3-4 times where Joseph would cower and cede ground. He also made a sweet entry pass to Whiteside that Joseph could not make in his dreams.
Guy is a better defender in the context of being the better overall player and you can take that to the bank just like all my other forecasts come to be inevitable manifest fruition! The only question is if his insertion into the lineup was because we were on the second of a back to back or harbinger of things to come.
Joseph played well against Raptors, his second good game after his miracle performance in Denver on opening night, one for the archives, but this is a function of playing time, being ignored by the opponents. The only thing Joseph does well is create the illusion of effort and competency to the superficial observer.
If Kyle Guy was given all the minutes gifted to Joseph, I contend we would be 11-8 vs 8-11.
Finally, that last play was too slow to develop and where was the option to kick to Buddy or Hali. 4.6 seconds, and the coach runs Fox around the floor to isolate him on the left side. That was not enough weak side action to counter the way the Heat tried to defend Fox, sending a second defender.
Not an inspiring play call by the coach!
Kyle Guy worth 3 wins…
Did Coach Walton actually have his mask over his eyes at one point last night? These nightly battles have become one of the more entertaining things about this particular team.
It’s like watching a toddler wrestle with a tiny octopus that’s stuck to its face. ð
At some point, Fox is going to have to bite the bullet and work on his free throws. His speed is great, because it helps him get to the rim and makes opponents commit needless fouls trying to stop him. Fortunately for those opponents, sending him to the line doesn’t hurt them much.
I was telling myself that Fox has the right to complain about not getting calls go his way but what’s the point of going to the line when he can’t make free throws on a consistent basis. It’s a double-edge sword.
OT: the Fan Forum is not really catching on yet, is it? A pity.
Maybe we can move the game thread over there again for a few games.
I think it might help if there were no sub categories and everything was lumped together as one itemized menu of discussions.
Had to miss the game. Decided to mix up the routine and spend the weekend in my living room. How did Kyle Guy look?
That last play called was terrible. I can’t believe nobody is mentioning it. WTF Kings down 1 point with 4 sec left. You draw up a play for Fox to shoot a 3? Honestly, that’s garbage. They had Fox doubled team the entire player. All other kings just stood behind the arc besides Holmes.
Your down 1 point why not something to the hoop? 2 points wins you the game, if they foul you you win it at free throw line. So they ain’t fouling you.
Luke Walton lost that game for us plain and simple.
Down by 1 and you drew that BS play up?
Badge Legend